The present invention generally relates to a locomotive cab and, more specifically to a cab isolation system for a locomotive.
Locomotives traditionally include cab isolation systems generally having four rubber mounts at each corner of the locomotive cab. These cab isolation systems generally work well for engine induced structure borne noise. However, these traditional systems are sensitive to engine induced vibration and to track induced low frequency motions.
Some traditional highway trucks include a cab isolation system that is dependent on a front rubber bushing pivot and rear spring and damper combination, rather than four rubber mounts as implemented in traditional locomotive cab isolation systems. These cab isolation systems for highway trucks may or may not use links to control other modes of vibration. Although this type of system is generally acceptable for highway trucks, a cab isolation system including a front pivot would not work in a locomotive because locomotives cabs are situated near the front end of the locomotive where the largest motions exist. This is especially true for the first bending natural frequency of the underframe structure and at lower frequencies. Therefore, if traditional highway truck cab isolation systems were implemented into locomotive cabs, a large portion of these motions would be passed directly into the cab, thereby causing the cab to be overly sensitive to track induced low frequency motions.
Accordingly, the use of a front pivot for cab isolation systems for locomotives have been traditionally rejected for the more traditional cab isolation system having four rubber mounts at each corner of the locomotive cab.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to reduce the locomotive cab's sensitivity to engine induced vibration and to track induced low frequency motions while still maintaining cab isolation to engine induced structure borne noise. It is further an object of the present invention to provide a cab isolation system for a locomotive cab including a pivot generally located at the rear of a locomotive cab.
This and other desired benefits of the preferred embodiments, including combinations of features thereof, of the invention will become apparent from the following description. It will be understood, however, that a process or arrangement could still appropriate the claimed invention without accomplishing each and every one of these desired benefits, including those gleaned from the following description. The appended claims, not these desired benefits, define the subject matter of the invention. Any and all benefits are derived from the multiple embodiments of the invention, not necessarily the invention in general.